A site for expressing your doubts, faiths, and testimonies on Christ

In her wise and sensitive audio Lessons in Living (BDD Audio, 1997), Susan Taylor tells of lessons learned from experiencing a California earthquake. She was in bed in the early hours of the morning when an earthquake struck. As her house shook, she tumbled from her bed. She managed to stand underneath an arched doorway in her hall and watched in horror as her whole home literally tumbled down around her. Where her bed had once stood, she later discovered nothing but a pile of rubble. She lost everything — every button, every dish, her automobile, every stitch of clothing.

Susan huddled, scared and crying, in the darkness of her house. It was very early in the morning and the sun had not yet risen. She began to call out for help. Crying and calling. As exhaustion set in, she thought that maybe she should be listening for rescuers rather than calling out. She grew still and listened. In the silence around her, the only sound she heard was the beating of her own heart. It occurred to her then that at least she was still alive! She was unhurt except for cuts and bruises. She may have lost everything else, but not her life! As she thought about her situation, she was flooded with a feeling of indescribable peace and happiness, the likes of which she had never known. That experience, by the way, was to permanently change her.

In the deepest part of her being, Susan knew she had nothing to fear whether or not she was ever rescued. For the first time, she realized that her true security lay deep within and did not depend upon anything material — even her physical safety!

Later, she heard sirens and voices of people calling out to her. They had found her. And this is what she says: "Before the quake I had all the trappings of success, but my life was out of balance. I wasn’t happy because I was clinging to things in my life and always wanting more. My home, my job, my clothes, a relationship — I thought they were my security. It took an earthquake and losing everything I owned for me to discover that my security had been with me all along."

She adds, "There’s a power within us that we can depend upon no matter what is happening around us. Now, each day of my life I take time to sit in silence and allow God to be God in me."

It’s as if life sometimes has to hit us over the head to get our attention! But when we realize where to find true security, then we know also where to find peace. From Joy Along The Way by Steve Goodier

“What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.” Psalm 56:3-4